TRUMBULL COUNTY, OH - Senior citizens, disabled veterans and homeowners could be getting a bigger discount on their property taxes in Trumbull County. 

Under a newly passed House Bill 96, county commissioners can double homestead exemptions and owner occupancy exemptions, bringing bills down by 5 percent. 

“You know what, we’re going to roll it back ourselves. We'll do what the state should be doing,” Tony Bernard, Trumbull County Commissioner said. 

“We don't believe in total abolishment of property tax. That would disseminate townships, disseminate county business services but we do believe in tax reform,” Rick Hernandez, Trumbull County Commissioner said. 

All three commissioners are in favor of doubling the owner occupancy exemption from 2.5% to 5% which would benefit all homeowners in the county. Owner occupancy exemptions reduce property taxes for someone who owns a home and lives in it as their primary residence.

If the commissioner approve the change, it would mean less money coming in for townships and schools but can be balanced from big businesses like Kimberly Clark and Amazon paying sales taxes in the future.

“The money we’re forgiven now we’re going to make it back on the back end but we’re not going to put it on the backs of those that need it the most, our seniors and our homeowners,” Denny Malloy, Trumbull County Commissioner said.

Homestead exemptions reduce property taxes for seniors over 65 years old with certain incomes and disabled veterans. Malloy said he is in fully in favor of the homestead exemption change from 2.5% to 5% while Bernard and Hernandez said they will consider it but are concerned about how much more they will lose. 

“That’s going to cost an additional 10 million dollars to schools and townships and county and I'm not sure that we can afford all that right now,” Bernard said. 

In order to consider the approval for seniors, the commissioners said they would need the state to give them another one percent from the sales tax that they withhold to balance the breaks handed out.

The Trumbull commissioners still have to vote on the tax breaks in an official meeting but nothing has been put on an agenda yet. Even if they move soon it will not affect the bills for the first half of the year.

Lake and Lorain County Commissioners have approved the same change for exemptions.

Both exemptions can be applied for through local county auditors offices.

There are also other property tax breaks coming to Ohio residents. 

House Bill 186 is expected to save Ohio property owners $1.7 billion over the next three years by capping the increase of unvoted tax revenue. It also changes the rules around the owner-occupancy exemption and is expected to provide $800 million in relief to homeowners. 

With the legislation, second half bills could be lower than expected.

Trumbull County Treasurer Agostino Ragozzino is asking people to not pay their second half taxes just yet because of discounts expected on property taxes. Residents will get a sheet with their property tax bill in March directing them to only pay for the first half of the year and not the second half.

If residents do end up paying second half taxes before they are adjusted they will be credited on the following bill, not sent a refund check.

If county commissioners approve of the further tax breaks, future bills will also be adjusted and could result in credits for some.